Scarlet
by maanorchidee
Summary: My name is Barry Allen, and I am the fastest man alive. Lately, I have been using my speed to create breaches between universes in the multiverse, since that theory is true. This hasn't always been successful. After traveling to Supergirl's Earth, I got stuck again. But now, Artie and his friends are ready to get me home. Right?


**Hello!**

 **I started working on this during Flash season 2, because the thought of Barry meeting the Ghost and Phalanx couldn't leave me. They are my favourite superheroes after all.**

 **Then season 2 started playing with the multiverse theory, and I thoughth: "One of those Earths could be ATOG." Then, this happened.**

 **Just a couple of things: Barry is a little bit biased about superheroing in this fic, and because of that, he might say and do stupid things. Also, I altered the multiverse theory a little bit. Age does no longer play a part. Technically, all these characters should be the same age (or one or two years apart), but what doesn't happen.**

 **Also, spoilers for The Flash season 2, All the Other Ghosts, and its sequel Grey. Speaking of the latter... I may have exaggerated the results of stuff that has happened in Grey for story purpose ;)**

 **I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 _My name is Barry Allen, and I am the fastest man alive. Lately, I have been using my speed to create breaches between universes in the multiverse, since that theory is true. This hasn't always been successful. After traveling to Supergirl's Earth, I got stuck again. But now, Artie and his friends are ready to get me home. Right?_

"Are you ready, Barry?"

"More than ready, Artie!"

Artie Abrams nods and Barry gets in position. "Still sorry we couldn't help you any better," Blaine says sadly, "But this Earth isn't made for superheroes."

"Guys, I don't mind," Barry says. The other Warblers still look ashamed, but they can't help it that they live on an Earth without powers.

"You'll be fine," Marley nods. She was the one to find him when Barry got stuck on 'Earth-Glee', as Trent loves to call it. Barry had confused her for her alien counterpart Kara Danvers, also known as Kara Zor-El or Supergirl, but he soon realized that Marley wasn't with Winn and James, because she wasn't Kara.

Blaine, her friend, freaked out when he saw Barry. Apparently, Blaine and Barry's Earth-Glee counterpart Sebastian haven't always been friendly. Blaine and Marley brought him to Dalton Academy to see Sebastian and the other Warblers. With the help of Artie, they found a way back home for Barry.

But now he has to go on his own. There is no metahuman or alien on Earth-Glee that can help him get back, so things can still go wrong.

"Good fucking riddance," Sebastian sneers.

"Sebastian, please," David shoots him a glare, "You're just mad at him because he declined your offer."

"Don't look at me like that, David!" Sebastian throws his hands in the air, "I've always wanted to make out with myself, and Barry took away that opportunity."

Sebastian frowns and storms off. Barry doesn't like this version of himself. He doesn't know why this version calls himself Sebastian instead of Barry, but Jay's version on Earth-One was also called Hunter Zolomon.

Sort of.

Everything with Jay in confusing.

"Okay guys, I think I am all set."

Marley hugs him one last time. "Come visit us if you can."

"I'd love to, but I don't want to get stuck again," Barry smiles sadly.

"Say hi to Cisco and Caitlin for us!" Blaine says.

"And get Iris!" Thad adds.

"3… 2…" Artie starts counting, "… 1! Run, Barry, now!"

So he does. Thanks to his training back home and on Supergirl's Earth, he's faster than ever. He runs for miles. A breach appears right in front of him, just like Artie had calculated. He's going home.

He runs through the breach, expecting to see Star Labs, but instead he ends up in a city. He stops when he sees the lights of Times Square. "Guys, I'm back, but I'm in New York," Barry says, but there's no answer from Star Labs.

"Cisco? Caitlin? Harry?" No reply. "What the…"

But he can't think for long. He hears a scream, and in true Flash fashion, Barry runs to save whoever just screamed. And he sees her. A woman is falling from a building. Why do they always fall of buildings in other Earths?

Barry is almost there, but suddenly, a streak of white lightning goes past him. Another speedster saves the woman's life and then runs off.

The lightning is white, which is new.

"Hey!" Barry yells and runs after him, "Wait!" The other speedster turns around, and Barry recognizes him from somewhere. He can't think clearly, because the speedster runs away.

"Oh, come on!" Barry groans, "I just wanna talk! Since when are there metahumans in New York?" But he has more questions. This is another speedster. He might have information about Zoom.

Barry runs after the other speedster for miles. He has no idea where he is, but he notices that the other speedster doesn't leave the city. Luckily for Barry, he is faster. He's almost there when a green hexagonal shield hits him from behind.

Barry loses balance and falls. He hits his head against a car. Just before he loses consciousness, he sees a man in green approaching him.

* * *

When Barry wakes up, he is in a room with grey walls. "What?" he says and tries to get up, but he's tied to a hospital bed.

"Caitlin? Cisco? Anyone in here?"

"Oh, you know…" he suddenly hears, "Only a ghost." Out of nowhere, a man appears. He's wearing a white bodysuit, a pale grey cloak and a mask.

"Oh thank God, another metahuman," Barry sighs and smiles, "Can you tell me where I am?"

But the man doesn't smile back. "First, you tell me how you got out," he says sternly, "Now."

"Out? Out of what?"

"Don't play games with me," the man yells, "We both know by now that I always win." He grabs Barry's neck and gets him out of the handcuffs without any problems. "Now tell me! How did you get past Schuester?"

"Woah, woah, dude! Put me down!" Barry yells, "What are you talking about? Who is Schuester?" And why does the name sound familiar? "Who the hell are you?"

"You know who I am," the man seems awfully scary, "And I know who you are. You ran after The Speedster, since that is your power, right? Copying other supers?"

"What the… No, you must've gotten the wrong man!"

The doors suddenly open. "Ghost, Dottie checked the prison cells," he hears a familiar voice, "And to our surprise, he hasn't escaped. That douchebag is still in his cell."

"B-Blaine?"

And before he knows it, the other man (Blaine?) is holding him upside down. "What did you just call me?" Maybe-Blaine demands.

Despite the fact that Barry is hanging upside down, he can see Blaine (?). It definitely is Blaine, or he looks like Blaine, but he's wearing a green armor and a mask. His hair is a mess too.

And suddenly, Barry understands what has happened.

"Oh no…" he says.

"Phalanx, put him down," the Ghost tells Phalanx, "We're about to have visitors."

So Blaine (Phalanx?) throws him on the ground. "Ouch?" Barry just says and gives him a look.

The door opens and Trent walks in with another speedster. The speedster looks like Sam Evans. Barry now knows for sure: he's on another Earth.

"Dudes, I keep telling you that he wasn't copying me!" Sam (?) yells, "And don't y'all lecture me on Sebastian's powers, because he has copied mine too, remember?"

 _Sebastian?_

"Speedster, please calm down, we know that this man isn't Sebastian," Blaine-who-is-Phalanx? says. Apparently, this doesn't mean that they can let him go, because the Ghost is holding his arm. "You're not going anywhere till we figure out who or what you are, understood?"

Barry has met a lot of intimidating people, but the Ghost tops all of them. He nods.

"The Honey Badger?" The Ghost just says. Trent nods and the Ghost curses someone Barry doesn't know. "So, both Sebastian and the Honey Badger are still locked up? Then who is he?"

"Why don't we ask our visitor?"

Everyone turns to the doorway. A woman in a black suit has entered the room with another woman in costume. "Agent Sylvester," Trent says, "Are you implying that we…" Agent Sylvester nods.

"But how will we know he speaks the truth?" Sam-or-Speedster asks.

The other woman coughs.

"Oh…" Sam-Speedster understands. Barry doesn't.

"Fine," the Ghost says and turns back to Barry, "You have five minutes. Now."

"Uhm, my name is Barry Allen, hi," Barry starts, "I am the fastest man alive and, well, I am from another Earth, since the so called multiverse theory is true." All the other people in the room turn to the woman in costume. She nods.

So Barry continues and tells the Ghost, Blaine who is Phalanx, Sam who is the Speedster, Trent, Agent Sylvester, and the other woman everything. He tells about the partial accelerator accident and about the Reverse Flash. He tells about Zoom and the multiverse. He tells about Earth-Two, Supergirl's Earth, and Earth-Glee. And he tells them that he just needs to go home.

"Psyche?" The Ghost stares at the woman.

She nods. "He's telling the truth."

The Ghost lets go of Barry's arm.

"Casper, you know what this means, right?" Agent Sylvester asks the Ghost, "We must get him out of here before they get him."

"Do you have any suggestions?" the Ghost asks.

Agent Sylvester shrugs. "This is your city."

Phalanx taps something on the Ghost's arm.

"Really?" the Ghost is not amused.

Phalanx (or Blaine, Barry should ask) shrugs. "Do you have a better option?"

"I agree with Phalanx," Psyche says.

"Can you, for once, not read our minds?" the Ghost says, agitated. He turns back to Phalanx. "Okay, let's get moving then."

"Woah- wait! Where am I going?" Barry yells, "Hello? I am still here? Who is after me?" But the Ghost and Phalanx grab him and everything goes black.

* * *

"Woah!"

Barry sits up. He is in someone's living room. A man looks up from his sketchpad.

"Ah, you're awake!" he smiles, "Finally! You've been asleep for 36 hours, welcome back to the living."

Barry just stares at him. "Who are you? Where am I and how did I get here?"

"Oh, we haven't been formally introduced yet, on this Earth and on the other," he holds out his hand. Barry takes it. "Kurt Hummel, nice to meet you."

"Kurt Hummel?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Uhm, I don't want to sound rude, but is this your living room? And if so, how did I get here?" Barry studies the man, Kurt, but he has never seen him before.

Kurt is about to answer when the door opens.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" Blaine enters the apartment. He's wearing clothes similar to Barry's Earth-Two counterpart and his hair is slicked back. He looks just like the Blaine from Earth-Glee.

"And what sort of time do you call this?" Kurt yells back.

Blaine is taken aback. "Did you just…"

"Ever since you forced me to join your little blogging sphere, I've been quoting series everywhere," Kurt rolls his eyes.

"Oh, Barry!" Blaine finally notices Barry, "You're up!"

Barry jumps off the couch. "Woah, woah, woah- wait? Blaine?"

"Yes?"

"You're here?"

"Well, Mr. Flash, you've explained everything, remember?" Blaine smiles, "Or have you forgotten already? I mean, you've been asleep for 36 hours."

"Yeah, I remember, but I was right then. You are Blaine," Barry looks at him, "Blaine Anderson. Superhero fanboy and amazing glee club singer."

"Blaine Anderson. Actual superhero and almost physical therapist," Blaine just says, "But that description of me fits too. I assume that's my counterpart?"

"But then you are…" he turns to Kurt, "You must be the Ghost then."

Kurt just vanishes. "I see that as a yes."

"Wait, but you know Blaine. Where was I on that other Earth?" Kurt appears again.

"New York, I think," Barry answers, "Uhm, if I'm correct, Blaine couldn't stop talking about his ex-boyfriend Kurt from New York. I assume that was you."

"Ex?" Kurt raises an eyebrow.

"Where was I then if I wasn't in New York?" Blaine asks, perplexed.

Barry tells him everything he knows, which isn't much. Blaine, Artie and Marley didn't talk about their personal lives that much, because they were busy helping Barry create a breach between universes. All he knows is that Blaine was in Ohio, finishing high school and he had recently broken up with his ex. They went to his other high school, Dalton Academy, to ask for help.

"Have you ever heard of Dalton Academy?" Barry asks him.

Blaine shakes his head. "Yes, I went there… for reasons."

"So, no Kurt in high school?"

"We met each other when he was in his last year of college," Kurt answers, "Not in high school. I didn't have friends in high school, but you mentioned Finn, my brother?"

"He was leading the glee club Blaine was in," Barry says, "The other teacher was in Washington. Will Shoe, I think."

"Will Schuester?" Blaine asks, horrified.

Barry doesn't get it. "Uh, I think so?"

It falls silent.

"Oh damn," Kurt suddenly yells, "Sophie is gonna kill me." He runs through a door (through a door!) and returns with a bag filled with sketch pads. He kisses Blaine, "I'll be back before five!" and he's gone.

"What was that about?" Barry asks, but Blaine just shakes his head and laughs. "Tell me!"

"His day job," Blaine says, "Which means that I should start on dinner already."

"His day job?" Barry follows him to the small kitchen, "Is that why he needs those sketch pads?"

"He is a designer," Blaine says proudly, "A really good one too. He shouldn't worry like that. His boss, Sophie, adores him, so she's not gonna fire him for getting late."

"Cool," Barry says, but he doesn't mean it. Not really. A superhero who spends his free time drawing fashion? "Then what do you do when he's working?"

"Well today, I'm starting on dinner," Blaine says, "Which isn't a good thing. Would he be mad at me if I just order pizza?"

Barry shrugs, but he wants to ask more questions. The important ones.

"But it depends. I'm not in college anymore, because Sebastian decided to be a dick- oh sorry, he's your counterpart, right?"

Barry just waves it away. He gestures to him to keep going. He wants to know what other metahumans do in their free time. Maybe Blaine's live is more exciting than Kurt's.

"Uhm, I troll the internet?"

"And?"

"I drink coffee."

"And?"

"I'm kind of training to be a doctor, since your counterpart made sure I'm never gonna be an actual physical therapist."

"And?"

"I box."

Barry keeps waiting.

"What do you need me to say? I live a pretty boring life," Blaine shrugs.

"Who do you work with?" Barry asks. He can no longer wait. "Do you also have a lab, you and Kurt? Don't you have a team or something? Back on my Earth, with the help of my friends at Star Labs, I fight crime and find other metahumans like me."

"A lab?"

"Yeah, or a liar! Or a cave, I don't know. The Green Arrow also has a team, and Supergirl has Lucy Lane with the DEO helping her out every now and then, and I have Star Labs…" he trails off when he sees the look on Blaine's face. "You don't have that, right?"

"I don't know what you do with your time, but Kurt is a designer and I am a troll on the internet, or something," Blaine says, sounding strained, "The fandom's words, not mine."

"Yes, but you're also a hero!" Barry goes on, oblivious to Blaine's discomfort, "You probably save thousands of people, because New York City is huge! And what about the other place? That room with grey walls? There were other metahumans in there too!"

"Do me a favour, and please shut up."

Barry is taken aback by the rude tone in Blaine's voice. Blaine was never like that on Earth-Glee.

"I don't know what kind of superhero you are on your Earth, but that's not how we roll, okay? We are supers, not some cheap, polished action figures you see in the Toys 4 Us. We don't have people behind us like that- or, okay, recent event happened. But still, the 'superheroing' you see on a CW show? That's not how reality works. Now help me pick the pizza's."

* * *

Barry is annoyed.

No, not just that.

He's pissed.

"What do you mean, I shouldn't use my powers on this Earth?"

"Barry, please, calm down so that we can explain," Blaine tries, but Barry isn't having any of it. "No, you don't understand, I am a superhero, I cannot sit still."

"Well, you must," Kurt says. He doesn't sound as nice and sweet as Blaine. Barry has learned that Kurt is probably one of the most delicate and feminine men he's ever met, unless you make him angry. Then he goes full Ghost mode: scary, threatening, demanding.

"Why not?" Barry demands.

"Because no one can know you're here, we're hiding you in our apartment for a reason!" Kurt says, "We don't want them to get you."

"Who? Who is them? I can handle myself." Barry tries not so sound like a petulant kid, but he's a superhero! He knows what he's doing.

"The government!"

Barry stops protesting. _The government?_ "Wait, you mean the one in Washington DC?"

"No, the Hamilton dance ensemble on Broadway- of course the one in Washington DC!" Kurt says, "The last thing we need is the government finding out that the multiverse theory is true. And that you can travel between universes. They'll do anything to get you."

"But isn't that a good thing?"

"In theory, maybe, but we can say from experience that you shouldn't trust them," Blaine crosses his arms, "Do not trust them. Ever."

"Artie, or iBorg, is trying to find a way back to your Earth as we speak, but it may take a while, since he has to do it in the complex without the government officials knowing," Kurt says, "He says he'll contact us when he has news."

"What complex?"

"The team, Barry, the team of supers you were talking about earlier this day. You asked me if Kurt and I have a team with a lab, or whatever. And we do, but we've tried to cut ties with them, but we can't. Not ever," Blaine shakes his head, "They owe us, and the despite the fact that their help is unwanted, we need it sometimes."

"I… don't understand." To Barry, working with Star Labs has always been a gift. Sure, evil Harrison Wells turned out to be the Reverse Flash that had killed his mother, but except for that, it has only helped him. He would've been no one without the help of Star Labs.

And, sure, Star Labs doesn't work for the government, but it still has close ties with the CCPD and other official installments in the city.

Blaine had already told him earlier this day that the NYPD isn't useful to them. Some of the cops even despise Kurt and Blaine for saving the city. Until two years ago, the leader of the New York Police Department told everyone to arrest the Ghost and Phalanx on sight.

"Okay, we will tell you, we swear," Kurt says, "But it is almost 6 pm and we have to get up at 11 pm. You can stay awake if you want, but do not disturb us. Get it?"

Barry nods.

"You can have Rachel's old room. She moved in with Finn a couple of months ago, so it's empty. Make yourself at home, but do not leave this place. Do not use your speed. Do not let anyone know who you are or where you're from. Don't write it down on the internet."

"Especially that!" Blaine says.

"Just… don't. Have another pizza if you want to, but that is it."

* * *

They give Barry Blaine's old tablet so that he can google the information he needs. Unfortunately, it isn't very useful. When he searches for The Ghost and Phalanx, he gets a lot of fanart instead. He finds Blaine's official blog and their Twitter accounts, but there is nothing on the government.

Except…

"Supers?" Barry knows by knows by now that metahumans are called supers on this Earth, but when he continues reading the old headline, he furrows his brow.

"Yes, they tried to register us."

Barry yelps and almost drops the tablet. The Ghost of New York City appeared out of nowhere. "Dude, do you do that to every visitor you get?" Barry asks. He quickly composes himself, because the Ghost keeps staring at him.

"Blaine, tell your husband to stop staring at me like that!"

No reply.

Until.

Phalanx appears next to his husband. "Do not call me that," he demands, "No names, okay? Keep up with the Phalanx."

"But…" Barry looks back to the tablet lying next to him, "I just read that your identities have been public for over a year."

The Ghost sighs and Phalanx winces. "Not one of our better days."

Barry wants to ask what has happened, because he has the feeling that the complex is, in a way, behind it. But the look on their faces say enough: _later._

For the first time, he gets how Iris feels when no one tells her anything.

But for now, he lets it go.

"Don't wait for us," the Ghost says, "Go to sleep, you'll need it. If we aren't back in the morning…" he trails off. Phalanx jumps in: "… check Tumblr."

"Tumblr?" Barry doesn't get how Tumblr is relevant.

"Yes, Tumblr," Phalanx says, "If needed, keep an eye on draxie. The Tumblr blog named draxie. Now, we're off. Don't leave the house, don't use your powers." And then, they vanish.

* * *

Barry tried to stay awake, but around one in the morning, he gave in and fell asleep in Rachel's old bed. When he wakes up eight hours later, he needs to remind himself what has happened.

He's still not home. He immediately gets dressed (Kurt gave him some clothes his brother left) using his super speed. When he enters the living room, he's surprised to see Kurt and Blaine having breakfast.

"Hey," Barry says, "Didn't you get in around three in the morning?"

"Yes," Blaine answers shortly. Barry knows not to ask questions.

"So, what are you gonna do today?" Barry asks, hoping it'll be more exciting than yesterday. It's not that he thinks Kurt shouldn't be designing, or that Blaine should try to be a doctor without actually going to school, but he expected more from the 'biggest superheroes in the country'.

But when they're out of their costumes, they're just ordinary guys. Ordinary guys that get recognized on the streets for using superpowers, but they don't dwell on it.

"We're about to get coffee. Care to join us? I mean, we should _talk._ "

They use the subway.

Barry knows that they want to continue living normal lives when they're not out saving the day (or night, in their case), but it feels a little bit unnecessary. It's like Barry driving a car to get to Star Labs or the CCPD.

The three of them walk to a coffee shop, and Barry notices people taking pictures of them. Judging by the way Kurt tenses up, he knows too. Blaine remains unfazed, or maybe he pretends to look unfazed.

They enter a small coffee shop with an Italian name. Barry should ask Hartley to pronounce it for him. " _Ciao,_ Mr. Conti," Kurt waves to the man behind the counter.

"Hey there!" Blaine waves too. Barry just nods. It's clear to him that Kurt and Blaine know this man very well. They don't order, instead they go upstairs to the roof. There is a small table on the roof with two wooden chairs. This must be their usual place.

"We could've just flown here, you know," Blaine points out when they take a seat. Barry doesn't have a chair, so he sits crossed legged on the ground.

"Not feeling like flying after what happened last night," Kurt says.

"It was a little accident!" "We could've died!" They keep bickering like this, but then the door opens and Mr. Conti is carrying three Styrofoam cups of coffee and a plate of bruschetta.

"You brought a boy!" he says, "Hopefully no competition for you two."

Both Kurt and Blaine sputter their protests. Barry looks away.

"Kidding, kidding," Mr. Conti says and puts down the plates, "I will get a chair for him." He runs away, but before Kurt can start talking, another boy appears in the doorframe.

"Sal!" Blaine gestures to him to come over.

Sal is eyeing Barry the entire time. "Hi," Barry waves, "Barry Allen. I am th- a friend of Kurt and Blaine's."

"And what's your power?" Sal asks unapologetically. He's still looking at Barry and he's smiling in a suggestive way. Barry does not know what to do.

"Nothing!" Blaine says quickly, "Not all our friends are supers, remember?"

"And please, Sal, stop flirting with him. We know you just broke up with that other guy, but we're kinda busy right now," Kurt adds and takes a sip of his coffee. Barry blushes. He was right. Sal is hitting on him, which isn't a bad thing since Hartley did the same thing, but he does not want to give him the wrong ideas.

"Let me get his number at least," Sal says and he fishes his phone out of his pocket.

"Sorry man, but I'm not gay," Barry says and shrugs. Kurt almost spits out his coffee and Blaine's eyes widen in shock.

Sal looks like he's just seen a ghost.

"What?" Barry asks. Why is everyone reacting this way?

"Sorry, we didn't want to assume anything, but your counterpart on this Earth is gay and he hasn't been so kindly about it," Kurt says, "And I described it lightly."

"We kinda assumed that all your versions were gay too- wait, does that mean that there are straight versions of us?" Blaine shakes his head.

"Versions?" Sal asks, but Kurt waves it away.

"Is it that big of a deal? That other version of me on Earth-Glee is gay too, but I never thought that all of my versions would be gay. Although, I'm married to Iris on Earth-Two."

"Let's just say that he's been hitting on Blaine and by doing that, he almost mentally destroyed us," Kurt says, "Individually. But he also tried to ruin our relationship."

"Sal!" they hear. Mr. Conti has returned, "Leave the boys alone. You need to go downstairs and help the customers." Sal grumbles and leaves.

Barry happily accepts the chair. "I will leave you two- and hey! Don't I know you?" Mr. Conti asks Barry, "I could swear I've seen you on TV or something. What was your name again?"

"I'm not him," Barry quotes Harrison –Harry- Wells.

"Mr. Conti, we need to talk to Barry, so why won't you help Sal downstairs?" Mr. Conti gives in and tells them to call him if they need anything else.

"Good," Kurt turns back to Barry, "Blaine and I have been talking, and we decided to tell you what happened to us last year. We don't want to, but you need to know it in order to understand why we need to protect you."

"We understand that you work differently," Blaine continues, "And we respect that. We know that every super has their own way of dealing with their powers, but you need to understand why we are doing it our way. Why we don't want help from the complex and the team, for example."

Barry has a bad feeling about this.

"So, until two years ago, Blaine and I were alone. Before Blaine, I protected the city on my own, but he wanted to help me and here we are," Kurt starts, "We don't have those teams and labs they have in movies. We make our own suits, he have to clean our own mess, the only medical help we got was from a med student and all the information we got, we got it illegally." Barry can't imagine working like that.

"After a painful showdown with a mafia boss, a team of supers created by the government came to help us. Without them, I wouldn't have survived, but I owed them. We owed them."

And so, they tell Barry about the team. They were recruited by the complex against their will, and they needed to team up with a group of mostly ex-villains: Incendiary, Cheer Girl (which is a strange name for a villain), iBorg, Puckzilla, Psyche, and the Speedster. Agent Sylvester led the operation, but the Ghost and Phalanx didn't obey her. Later they would find out that Agent Sylvester didn't obey her orders either.

The Ghost and Phalanx soon found out that weird things were happening. It took Phalanx longer than the Ghost, because Phalanx had too much faith in the team. Even the other supers told them not to trust the people of the complex. Unfortunately, they were semi-forced to cooperate.

They tried to keep their identities a secret, but with the help of Psyche, the complex found out. The security was shit, and a supervillain was used to read their information. He worked for Sebastian, Barry's counterpart. Sebastian has been trying to break Phalanx without him knowing, because neither Phalanx, nor the Ghost, expected Sebastian to be super.

Sebastian outed their identities to the entire world, and everything changed. The Ghost prevented the government officials from using him. Instead, he played dirty too and told them that they owe him and Phalanx.

Their families are being protected by the government. Not because they want to, but because they have to. The government also doesn't want to work for them, but the Ghost made it pretty clear that they started the mess.

And so, a year has passed. The Ghost and Phalanx still don't like and trust them, but they have them on a leash. Things have changed, now that the people from the complex know that they won't help them with their plans anymore. Agent Sylvester still runs it, but now under her own rules.

And they have to admit that the help sometimes can be useful. The med student now works for them on a professional basis and they can call the other team members when they need help, but that's all because of the mutual distrust.

"So, you still don't trust them. You're afraid that they will force me to work with them, the same way they forced you two to cooperate?" Barry asks.

"They play dirty, Barry, they all do. They use our weaknesses against us," Blaine says and explains: "Incendiary, Psyche, Puckzilla and Cheer Girl had to choose between this or prison. iBorg needed the funding to pay for his experiments, and Speedster needed a job to pay for his family's debts. We owed them the Ghost's life. The moment they find out you want to go home, they'll try to get you. They will tell you that they can help you, but all they do is lure you in."

"But you said that Agent Sylvester has reformed the team," Barry states.

"Yes, she has, but we all know that we're still under the government's watch," Kurt answers, "But they don't have as much power as they used to. Agent Sylvester knows that too, that's why she was the one to tell us that we needed to hide you."

"So there is absolutely nothing I can do?" Barry feels defeated. He sits back in his chair and sees the looks on Kurt and Blaine's faces. Barry is not used to this. Many people have tried to make him sit down. Joe did, Iris did, Harrison Wells (the good one and the evil one) did. Even Cisco and Caitlin tried to stop him.

But he never listened, and it always worked out. But this time, he isn't in Central City. He's in New York in a different universe. So he reluctantly agrees. He doesn't like that he has no idea what is going on. All he knows is that Artie 'is working on it'. On all the other Earths, Barry could follow the entire process, but on this Earth, no one tells him anything. He just has to accept the results. He doesn't want to.

But he has to.

* * *

When they get back to Kurt and Blaine's apartment, three people are waiting for them. Barry recognizes them: Brittany S. Pierce, Artie Abrams, and Sam Evans. On Earth-Glee, they were known as three glee club members. On this Earth, they are Cheer Girl, iBorg, and the Speedster.

"You got something?" Barry asks, hopeful. Artie nods and eyes Barry.

Oh yeah, they haven't met each other on this Earth yet. "Uhm, Barry Allen," they shake hands, "I assume that the others have told you about my, uhm, condition?"

"Yes, and I think I have it figured out," Artie says, "But we should go inside." Kurt unlocks the door and the five of them start talking the minute he shuts the door behind them.

"Good, Mike and I have been going over the multiverse theory again, and you need extreme speed to create the breach. Now, the only flaw in the plan is that we need to find the right breach," Artie unfolds a map of the universe.

"How did you get this?" Barry asks. Cisco would love this.

"NASA knows more than the constellations, but they don't tell anyone," Artie says and he points to certain parts of the map. Barry knows science, but he doesn't know anything about astronomy and astrology.

"We need a scientific genius to help us out with this, but as long as we don't have anyone to help us out, we need to focus on other aspects. That's where these two come in." Brittany and Sam nod. "Like we said, you need extreme speed or extreme strength. One of these two needs to throw you into the breach, like a cannon."

"I know," Barry says, "Kara helped me out on her Earth. But guys, really, if you need a scientific genius, I'm here for you. This is my journey after all."

"Yes, then you can explain to the security guards why you are so interested in one of my projects," Artie rolls his eyes, "Haven't they told you anything about _them_? How about you talk with Brittany and Sam about the speed and strength thing, and Mike and I will look after this?"

Barry sighs. He really isn't going to have any say in this 'project'.

"Really, guys, what am I supposed to do?" Barry questions the others, "I can't leave the house without Kurt or Blaine, I can't use my speed, and now you're telling me that I can't even help with the process of getting me back home?"

"Barry, we're sorry, but…"

"No, look- I understand why I can't do anything," Barry interrupts, "So I won't do anything, but what would you feel? What would you do when you were trapped somewhere without powers?"

Everyone turns to Sam when he starts to cough. It sounds incredibly fake. "Kurt, may I remind you that you are a fashion designer?"

"You may," Kurt says and raises an eyebrow, "But why do I need reminding?"

"How about we let Barry help you out tonight-" both Kurt and Blaine start to protest "-under my name. Come on, guys, we cannot isolate Barry completely. Kurt, how about you alter one of my costumes and give it to Barry, and Blaine and I will say on social media that the Speedster will help out."

"Are you forgetting that Barry is taller than you? And is a brunet? And has a completely different face?" Artie asks and points to Sam's lips.

"Cover my lips or something? It's not like Barry is supposed to talk. Tell them there's been an accident, and honestly, if we tell the fandom beforehand that Speedster is coming with us, they accept it," Sam says.

"Sure, they will see the changes and speculate, but otherwise Draxie will keep them calm. And we will too," Blaine adds.

Ever since Blaine's blog got outed, he's asked Draxie, BB and Ghostly to keep the fandom calm during riots. And after Blaine's insistence, he and Kurt created new blogs for them. No one knows that they're behind it, except for the three girls. Others think they're new fans that joined the fandom after their identities got leaked.

"Are you agreeing to this?"

"Angel, we can't keep him locked up in the house forever. We don't know how long he has to stay here," Blaine argues, "Just do it." Barry could kiss Blaine and Sam.

* * *

And so they go out around eleven. Kurt has altered one of Sam's bodysuits so it would fit Barry. He puts on the face mask and wraps a piece of cloth around his chin and lips. He looks ridiculous, but Sam's lips really are easily recognizable.

Barry- no, the Flash is waiting for the others. The Ghost and Phalanx keep checking their utility belts. To the Flash's surprise, they put candy in it too. "Where's your belt?" Phalanx asks, "I thought Speedster had given it to you."

He had, but the Flash didn't know what to put in there. He's never used utility belts, because his speed's always been enough. And otherwise, Cisco would appear with a weapon. So he lies and tells them that the Speedster had forgotten it.

He's standing in front of the Ghost and Phalanx. "Take my hand," the Ghost says after they step on Phalanx's green shields. He does and the three of them turn invisible. They travel to a rooftop.

"What's gonna happen now?" the Flash asks. But the Ghost and Phalanx sit down and put a small radio between them.

"We're gonna spar a little bit, and then we'll wait," the Ghost says, "Although I don't think we will have to wait long." And they don't have to wait long. After one round between the Flash and the Ghost, they hear that there's a car heist.

"Speedster, don't screw this up," the Ghost says before they step on the shields.

The car heist is simple. The Flash gets the robbers out of the car and he hands them to the police. The Ghost is making sure they aren't attracting a crowd.

The criminals weren't that big of a deal. They were two younger men stealing a car. They weren't even carrying weapons.

The next person they save was walking home when he got a gun aimed at him. Phalanx shields him and the Ghost gets the gun. They call the police and then they sit with him.

They sit with him.

Phalanx talks to him and they wait for his boyfriend to pick him up. It is very uneventful, but the Flash has the feeling that it's always so uneventful to sit with the people they save.

After this, they walk a woman to the women's center. The Flash is sad to see that the Ghost and Phalanx know all employees' names by heart. They must come here often.

When Phalanx is talking a person out of suicide, the Flash realizes why he's feeling so out of place. In his universe, he fights metahumans to protect his city. The Ghost and Phalanx fight criminals on the street to protect people.

The Flash barely interacts with the citizens of Central City. He says he does it to protect them, so that no one uses them against him, but because of that he has no connection with the people of Central City. He lets Joe and the other cops handle that.

But it's not all fun and games. The Flash sees awful things, things he never sees because he always runs away before he can sit and talk. The people they save are only human after all. There is a lot of gore too, but the Ghost and Phalanx go through.

Then there's the people who don't want to be saved by them. One man yells all the homophobic slurs the Flash can think of. Phalanx drops it and walks away, but Ghost is stubborn and still wants to save him after all. The Flash chooses to follow Phalanx instead and the two of them bring a girl back to her family. He now understands why Phalanx took candy with him.

The Flash can't believe it. Back in Central City, no one would talk to him like that. Maybe it's because he's straight, but still, he is a hero and Central City worships him. But then again, the Ghost and Phalanx are heroes too.

They call it a night around two in the morning, and despite the fact that this was nothing compared to the evil metahumans he fights, the Flash is utterly exhausted.

* * *

 _YOOOOO HAVE YOU SEEN THOSE PICTURES OF THE SPEEDSTER?_

 _I don't understand why he dyed his hair I like the blond_

 _but but but what if he inst the speedster?_

 _(Draxie, have you heard anything about this?)_

 _(A little bit, but let's make sure other people think he is the Speedster)_

 ** _In A Flash_** _by draxie. PG-13. Ghostlanx + Speedster friendship. Just a little fic to appreciate other supers helping our superhusbands._

 _DRAXIE WROTE FIC EVERYONE HIDE HIDE FOR POSSIBLE ANGST_

 _BUT REALLY? WHY DOES HE LOOKS SO WEIRD?_

 _ohmygod ohmygod i saw them and the speedster saved me, and tbh, im pretty sure its him._

 _I still don't believe it. I know that Phalanx posted on his blog that the Speedster was joining them, but I can't help but wonder what is going on._

 _whens puckzilla gonna help?_

 _^^Oh my god, why are you still here?_

* * *

"I don't like travelling this way," Cheer Girl pouts, "I know you and Speedster do it all the time, but I prefer running."

"Do you think this is a possible place for a breach?" the Flash asks. iBorg nods. They're a couple of miles away from the city. The Flash, Cheer Girl, the Speedster, iBorg, and to the Flash's surprise, Incendiary are standing in an open field. Kurt and Blaine stayed in the city. They have a life after all.

He doesn't know Incendiary's actual name, since he never met her on Earth-Glee, but when they're in costume they don't need it. "But there is no breach yet," she points out.

"Not yet, but doctor Chang and I are working on it," iBorg tells her and the Flash grumbles something. He wishes he could help instead.

"We're now going to try to throw the Flash as far as possible. We need to check if that is possible with Cheer Girl's strength and the Speedster's speed," iBorg types something and then nods to Cheer Girl. Without asking him first, she grabs the Flash and throws him in the air.

"Woaaaaah!" The Speedster runs after him and catches him. "I think he can go pretty far," he tells iBorg.

"Perfect!" iBorg claps his hands, "Let's do it again!" They train a couple of times. Sometimes it's the Speedster throwing him, sometimes it's Cheer Girl throwing him. iBorg is analyzing everything and Incendiary occasionally throws balls of fire to 'spice things up'.

That's when the phone rings.

"Detective Hudson?" the Speedster says, "Yeah? What? Oh, really? But they can handle it, okay. Then why are you calling? Yes, yes, the Flash and I will get them back in time. Are you sure they need our help, they usually have it covered. Of course, I am aware of the Flash's _situation._ Thank you, we will be there- oh and please, keep journalist Berry away from us. _I know, dude!_ Yeah, okay. See you in a few. Bye."

"Yes?" iBorg asks.

"A fire, again," the Speedster sighs, "The police now realizes that this is not a coincidence. The Ghost and Phalanx are getting people out as we speak, but detective Hudson asked us for help, just to be sure. And I need to get the Flash back."

The Flash tries to protest, but the others aren't listening. They're on their way back to New York.

* * *

After Barry changed back into his clothes (or actually Finn's clothes) he makes his way to the building that's on fire. Incendiary is trying to control the fire, but it's strong. The Speedster is getting people out of there. iBorg is hovering from above, checking if he can see anyone suspicious. Cheer Girl and Phalanx are making sure no one gets hurt. The Ghost is invisible, but that's not a problem.

There is a crowd, but the police are telling them to stand back. Detective Hudson is leading them. There are news cameras and journalists, including journalist Berry, everywhere. Bystanders are filming everything.

"Everyone's out," the Speedster yells, "Everyone's out!" The other supers join him, and they wait for the firefighters to take out the fire. That is until a little kid starts yelling that his grandfather is still in there. The Speedster is gone in a flash, but he comes out empty-handed. "I see no one!" he yells.

"Basement," the kid sobs, "He has a secret basement. No one has a key." Cheer Girl offers to smash down the door, but the Ghost steps forward.

"I'll get it. I can ghost through the fire if needed," he says, "Cheer Girl can still get hurt." Without waiting for anyone's permission, he runs back in. The Phalanx hold the kid close, and the entire city waits for him to get out.

But the explosion makes the Earth move under their feet. Instinctively, all the people take a step back. The supers and the firefighters fall back because of the explosion. The Ghost doesn't come out.

"Ghost!" Phalanx yells. Incendiary takes the kid and shelters him. The Speedster tries to get in, but there is nothing left of the building. It's become a blazing inferno.

" _Ghost!_ " Phalanx screams. He screams out. Barry holds his breath and everyone waits for the Ghost to appear with the old man, but nothing happens. "Kurt!"

Phalanx falls on his knees and sobs.

Bystanders lower their cameras out of respect. People are crying, and Barry feels himself tear up too. The news crews are all silent. Journalist Berry lowers her note pad and cries. Officer Hudson loses balance and other cops need to stop him from running to the building. "Dudes, dudes, that's my brother! That's my-"

Barry feels numb inside.

It's silent. The only sounds is the flickering of the fire. No one approaches Phalanx. Even the other supers know better.

For a couple of seconds, there's nothing.

But then, a woman screams and points. "Look, look, over there!" Everyone follows her gaze. A man's hand appears out of nowhere. It's as if people have gotten back to their senses. The Speedster and Cheer Girl rush to it and pull the man up.

"Grandpa!" the kid breaks free out of Incendiary's grip.

The old man gets dragged away from the fire. He isn't hurt at all, which means

A gloved hand appears too. The Ghost of New York City drags himself up. He has ghosted them down. Phalanx, still on his knees, breathes again.

* * *

"You're in shock, sweetheart, you of all people should know that," Kurt says and leans over to kiss him. Blaine's lying on the couch. He hasn't moved in hours. He can't.

"Your husband is right, Blaine," Mike checks Blaine's pulse again, "You though he died, so you collapsed in front of everyone. Your mind knows that Kurt's alive, but your body hasn't caught up yet. It's still in shock."

Blaine nods.

"Let me check you agai-" "I'm fine, I'm fine. Mike, I ghosted down, I'm okay," Kurt swats him away, "I went too fast, but luckily we landed when I saw an abandoned subway station. It took us a while to get back up, but we're both unharmed."

Mike gives in and nods. "Okay, then I'm going back to the hospital. I need to make sure everything is fine. Sam got most of them out right in time, but many inhaled a lot of smoke."

Barry stands up. "Do I need to help?"

"You can call Finn and help with the investigation instead," Mike suggest, "Kurt told me that you're a CSI, not a doctor."

"So, this was planned?" Kurt asks, "We knew that, but the cops have finally caught up?"

"Kurt, this is the fourth big fire in two weeks. All of them ended with explosions, although this one was extreme," Mike goes through his phone, "Finn isn't working. He took the day off after the fire, which is understandable. Everyone thought you died, Kurt." Kurt closes his eyes.

Mike sends Barry the number. Kurt and Blaine had given him a throwaway phone last night. "Finn knows who you are, so he also knows that he can't tell anyone that you are helping him out."

"Isn't that illegal?" Barry asks. Joe would kill him if he shared classified investigations with anyone outside the CCPD or Star Labs.

Kurt snorts. "Welcome to our life, although I never thought I had to ask anything like this from Finn again. He was always so paranoid about getting caught."

"Can I-?" Blaine tries to get up, but Kurt, Barry and Mike tell him to shush and sleep.

"Let's get you to bed, and then we'll call Finn," Kurt scoops Blaine up. Blaine tries to protest, but he's too weak. Not everyone has the ability to heal fast, but then again, this isn't physical damage.

* * *

"So, what am I like on your planet?" Finn asks. Barry laugh and tells them that they're from the same planet, but from another version of it.

"Does every planet has its own space? You know, stars and planets and stuff?" Finn is ordering the files as he speaks. Barry would've helped him go faster, but he has no idea what he needs to look for.

"No, there's only one space, but multiple Earths," Barry explains- or tries to, "And they occupy the same place in space, but they vibrate at a different frequency. Therefore, you can't see the other Earths."

"But you've met me, right? On another Earth?"

"Trent called it Earth-Glee," Barry laughs at the name, "He named it after the glee clubs, because they helped me to create a breach. You were leading one of those glee club, filling in for Will Schuester or someone."

"Schuester?" Finn asks with wide eyes. Kurt and Blaine reacted like this too.

"Yeah, I understand that he is a bad guy on this Earth, but on Earth-Glee, he's the mentor or something. I don't know, I never met him because you were the teacher."

"But I still knew Blaine an' all?"

Barry nods and tells him about the Earth-Glee counterparts of everyone he has met on this Earth already: Brittany, Sam, Artie, Trent and Blaine. He still needs to meet Tina. He then tells him all the little bits he knows about Kurt, Rachel, Mike, Santana, Quinn, Puck and Agent Sylvester.

"Interesting."

"Well, not as interesting at this," he picks up one of the many papers, "Four fires, and yet, no one saw the connection until now." Finn nods and he hands Barry a stack of papers. "Here's everything on them, take your time an' call me when you're-" Barry uses his super speed and reads everything. "-done. Never mind."

"This is a lot," Barry gets up, "Does Kurt have a chalkboard or something?"

"You can have a piece of paper, if needed," they hear and Kurt is standing in the doorway. He ghosted through the front door, so no one knew he was home already.

"How're the others?" Finn asks. Kurt rolls his eyes. "Oh, you know, the usual. Agent Sylvester is already in the city to help them. It's all up to her. They're going back to their own cities tomorrow. How's Blaine?"

"Finally asleep," Finn mutters disapprovingly, "He insisted on scrolling through Tumblr, but he fell asleep after a while."

Kurt rolls his eyes and hands Barry one of his notepads. Barry starts writing everything down in super speed. He doesn't know much about New York, but he's able to make a pretty accurate map of the area and the fires.

"Okay, first thing you notice is that all the fires have been apartment buildings or company buildings," he says, "No historic property or public things like libraries or museums. Second, they're all in the same area, which means that if whoever's behind this will strike again, it's gotta be close to the others."

"There a lot of buildings similar to the ones that have been destroyed," Finn sighs, "Are you suggesting extra protection?"

"We… We'll get to that later," Barry writes something down, "We need to keep in mind that there might be another fire. Fast." And that's when Kurt's phone rings. It's a throwaway one. This can't be good.

Kurt picks up and Finn and Barry brace themselves for the bad news. Kurt disappears right in front of them. "Oh come on!" Finn cries out, "Why does he never talk? We know by now that they don't have to hide anymore."

He apologizes and leaves.

It is brutal for all of them. The fourth fire happened only a couple of hours ago, and the Ghost and Finn are already out again. No one has woken Blaine.

Barry decides to stay in the apartment. It kills him, especially now that he knows that the other supers aren't with the Ghost, but someone has to look after Blaine.

When someone starts banging on the door, Barry tries not to yelp in shock. "Kurt? Blaine?" He knows that voice. "Are you in here, oh my god?"

Barry opens the door. "Tina?"

But when Tina sees him, she starts yelling. "Get out, get out! What are you doing here, oh my god! You're- You did this to Mike. To Kurt and to Blaine. To _everyone_!" She's hitting him hard with her bag.

"Tina- no, no! You've got the wrong guy. I'm not Sebastian," and he runs away in super speed. When he gets back, Tina is staring at him with wide eyes. "Hi, Barry Allen. Mike must've mentioned me. Please, come in, but don't raise your voice again. Blaine is asleep."

"Blaine?" she whispers when she follows him inside, "You mean he's not out there? But there's a fire. But where is Kurt?" She keeps rambling. Tina on Earth-Glee couldn't shut her mouth either. Tina is listing a couple of things Barry has never heard of.

"Mike is still at work," she says, mostly to herself, "and I saw that Sylvester woman taking all the other supers with her. No one saw this coming. Good I was in the neighbourhood, because I needed to speak to the Ghost and Phalanx- although you just told me that Blaine is _asleep_ and that the Ghost is already gone. Maybe I should call Joy. Yes, I should call Joy. Let's go to her place!"

"But- Blaine?"

"He can handle himself," Tina waves it away, "He's a big boy. He might yell at us for not taking him with us or for not waking him up, but he'll be fine." She stops and looks at Barry. "You are a fast runner, right? Like Sam?" Barry nods and Tina shows him the map of New York. "She's from the suburbs," she points to some place on the map, "Can you get us there in time?"

"But- Kurt and Blaine… they told me not to use my powers in public."

"Have _they_ ever followed the rules?" Tina rolls her eyes, "What do you suggest I do otherwise? Call Rachel? She's still in shock after the fourth fire. No one will notice because everyone's focused on the fifth fire. Come on! Or just drop me there." And so they run.

* * *

Joy, also known as Draxie, is living with her husband in the suburbs of New York.

She's not a fan of Barry, but that's because of the counterpart thing. Barry's used to people from this Earth yelling at him. Incendiary –Santana- and Puckzilla –Puck- both tried to kill him, despite the fact that they knew that he wasn't Sebastian.

But Barry isn't staying long. He drops Tina off and he rushes back to the apartment. He hears his throwaway phone ping.

 _Barry, Mike and I think we have a breakthrough in the project. We would like to ask you to write down all the information on the other times on paper. Don't send me an e-mail or a Word document, because they might be able to read that. That's how they got our info. Thanks._

He writes everything down, using his super speed and Sam picks it up. "No worries, dude, I was on my way to help Ku-the Ghost with the fire. How's the other doing?"

Barry looks at the closed door that leads to the master bedroom. "He'll get better."

"He fucking will. That guy's got some balls," Sam nods to himself, "His only weak spot is his affection for the Ghost. Man, those two love each other so much. Incendiary sometimes thinks it's disgusting, but then again, I'm surprised she hasn't married Cheer Girl yet."

They do seem very in love, which is a surprise. Incendiary- or Santana- doesn't seem capable of love.

Sam rushes out, only to return a couple of minutes later. "By the way, I got to tell you something," he starts, but Barry isn't listening.

"Hey Sam, about the speed thing and everything-" but Sam stops him.

"I read what you wrote down for Artie and Mike. I know about your speed force and everything that is happening on your Earth, but that's not happening here," Sam says, "You also wrote about this Zoom dude, right?"

Barry nods.

"Yeah, there was a lot of paper. Artie thought it took you ages to write that thing, but I know better. Anyway, I don't know this Zoom either, but I suggest you ask that speed force of yours to help. That partial accelerator? Maybe you can reuse it?"

"The partial accelerator? Are you sure?" Barry asks.

"No, but you can always try- oh!" Sam fishes a throwaway phone out of his pocket, "The fire has died and they're asking for me. I guess I need to go back to the team. Speaking of the team, according to Artie and Mike you can go home within a couple of days! That's what I wanted to tell you!"

Barry can't believe it!

* * *

Kurt came home after the fire. He's still exhausted from the previous fire. They don't go out that evening and Barry doesn't blame them.

The next day they do. Barry's days are still quite boring. The only exciting thing are the text messages Sam keeps sending him, updating him about Artie and Mike's 'project'.

Three days after the fifth fire, something happens.

"Kurt, Barry!" Blaine is calling for them. He's in the bedroom, checking Tumblr.

"Where's the fire?" Kurt says when they enter the room. Barry laughs at the simple pun, but Blaine's too focused on the screen. He turns his laptop to Kurt and Barry. It's a Tumblr post. There is a picture with a lot of text.

 _Okay so_ _uhm_ _I don't know if I should do this or not, but yeah that's why I made another_ _sideblog_ _just to post this picture. So yeah, we all_ _know that Figgins is an_ _assbutt_ _,_ _but what if these fires are linked yeah?_

 _I know the_ _superhusbands_ _aren't_ _gonna_ _give anything away, but I noticed_ _sth_ _. In case you don't know I live in the middle of NY and I happen to live close by all the fires and after the second one I started paying attention._

 _And this guy is always there and he's never fazed by the fire instead he just looks awfully determined so after I saw him again at the 5th_ _fire I snapped this picture of him. He looked burned too I mean see his hands?_

 _I don't want to mix myself in a possible investigation but I think people should know this and people should look out for him._ _Im_ _not saying he is behind this, but he's always there and always_ _calm, even after the horrible 4th_ _fire where everyone thought the Ghost had died. I_ _never intended on posting this, but_ _im_ _getting scared right now so please, please spread this I know this might be illegal, but please._

"Holy shit," Kurt just mutters.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is illegal," Barry says, "How did you get this?"

"Well, it's everywhere on my dash, along with the wank," Blaine continues scrolling. He doesn't hit the like button, because then people will know he has seen it, "And Ghostly sent it to me. Also to my other account, so let me just…" He logs out and logs in again. "Reblog it real quick on here."

 _I_ _dunno_ _guys, how do we know this is legit?_

"'Dunno'? Are you pretending to be British?" Barry meant it as a joke, but the look on Blaine's face makes it clear that he is indeed pretending to be British.

"And I am from New-Zealand," Kurt says. He's on his phone, checking Tumblr too. "We should send this to Finn."

"And have the cops track down their IP address? No way!" Blaine protests, "We need to keep them out of this."

"Blaine, I know that you want to protect the fandom, because of camaraderie of the community or something, but this person is meddling with a police investigation!"

"Yeah, like we've never done that!"

That shuts Kurt up. Blaine goes to the blog and reads all the asks OP has received.

"This is dangerous, he or she shouldn't have meddled," Barry groans. He knows how the police works. He works with them.

"They posted this four hours ago and it already has over 10,000 notes. News travels fast among the fanghosts. I'm going to get it down," Blaine starts typing again. Barry doesn't know much about this blogging platform, but Blaine is switching accounts again.

"But how?" Barry asks.

"I will do it my way," Blaine starts typing and a couple of screens appear, "I never want to sound superior on the internet, but now I have to. I'll send them an ask off-anon, telling them that we've seen it, but that they have to deactivate the entire blog as soon as possible. This is not safe for them. The police can arrest them for meddling, or worse, that guy might hurt them."

He screenshots the post first.

"You think he or she-" "They." "- they might be right?"

"Innocent or not," Kurt starts, "The moment that man realises that he's on the internet like this, he will take action. Would you like to be on the internet like this? Them saying you are committing a crime?" Barry shakes his head.

After the message has been sent, Blaine opens the screenshot. "Who is he?"

"Don't you have facial recognition on your laptop?" Barry asks. Back at Star Labs, Cisco would've found the person in question in no time. Felicity made sure of that.

"This is an ordinary laptop I bought for classes, no supercomputer," Blaine sighs, "Barry, we've told you that we don't have a team or a cave or whatever. The complex probably has facial recognition, but no way in hell we're gonna contact them. Especially with you in the house."

"Yes… about that…" but then Barry sees the picture. _Hold up._ He recognised the man from somewhere. Just like he recognised Sam and Blaine when he just arrived on this Earth. "I know that man!"

Both Kurt and Blaine turn to him.

"Ryder Lynn, I met him on Earth-Glee," Barry takes a closer look. The picture is low quality, but Barry can make out Ryder's face. He's sure of it: this is Ryder!

"Ryder Lynn?"

"Yes!" he turns to Blaine, "Your counterpart is friends with him. You're both in Finn's glee club. I didn't really get to know him, but Blaine –your counterpart- and Marley are both very friendly with him. I once suspected you two were in love with him, but that's another story."

"Yes, thanks for that necessary information," Kurt scoffs.

Blaine kisses his hand as a reassurance and then turns back to Barry. "Did he have any interest in fire on Earth-Glee?"

"No, but you weren't into physical therapy either," Barry points out, "Interests can change. People can change. Joe from my Earth is like a father to me, but Joe from Earth-Two despised me."

"But you're sure it's him?" Kurt is apprehensive.

"Positive."

"Then I'll call Finn," Kurt uses his throwaway phone to contact 'Detective Hudson'. Finn is at their place ten minutes later.

"So I went through everything, but there is no criminal record for Ryder Lynn," Finn gives Barry the folder, "You can check." Barry fast-reads everything. Finn is right, there is nothing. Barry shouldn't be surprised, but Ryder from Earth-Glee was such a happy guy, so Barry can't imagine Ryder having a criminal record. He has to remind himself that this Ryder can be different.

"You two," Finn says to Kurt and Blaine, "Change into your costumes. We need to talk to this guy."

Kurt rolls his eyes. "We do not take orders, but okay then. I'll see you in five."

* * *

Barry has to stay behind again. He took Blaine's advice and created a Tumblr account to keep an eye on what's happening. The Tumblrs people have for the Ghost and Phalanx are nothing like the blog Iris created about him. These so-called fanghosts are _wild._ Barry sees drawings he wishes he could unsee.

He knows he will leave soon. Sam had texted him a couple of minutes ago, saying that they found a breach. He's going home today!

"He's a super."

Barry falls of his chair. "Ghost, you gotta stop doing that. There is no problem with knocking."

"No, you should start getting used to this, since it looks like you're staying here for a couple of more days," the Ghost says, but Barry knows better. He knows that he should tell them, but he doesn't want to distract them from their mission.

"Where's Phalanx?" Barry asks. He knows that if Phalanx is holding the Ghost, he can be invisible, but Barry wants to know for sure.

"Hospital," the Ghost says shortly, "Ryder Lynn burned Detective Hudson. He'll survive, but Phalanx wants doctor Chang to check on him."

"Is that what he does? He controls fire?" Barry asks. Before the Ghost can answer, Phalanx is flying outside the window. The Ghost lets him in.

"Let's just say that he is a firebender. You have Avatar on your Earth, right?" Phalanx asks.

"We need a plan," the Ghost starts pacing around the room, "Unfortunately, we don't know a super that can control water or the weather. The firefighters still owe us, they might help us."

Just then, another explosion rattles the city. A sixth fire has started. The Ghost and Phalanx jump on the green shields and rush to the scene of the crime. Barry closes Blaine's laptop, grabs one of Finn's jackets, and runs after them with normal speed.

It isn't far away. The building is in flames, and Ryder Lynn is standing in front of it. To Barry's surprise, he looks sad.

"Freeze!" a couple of cops have him surrounded, but Ryder just lifts his hands and a wall of fire surrounds him. The cops stagger back. Ryder lowers his hands, but then, to Barry's horror, he starts throwing blazes of fire to people around him. Innocent people.

Green shields protect the yelling people.

The Ghost and Phalanx appear. The Ghost jumps off the shields and immediately starts fighting Ryder. Ryder is strong, but the Ghost is smart. He blocks every attack.

Fire is the Ghost's weakness, but he keeps going on until- a blaze of fire just misses the Ghost's face, but he loses balance and falls back. Something changes in Phalanx's eyes. He jumps on his shields and starts throwing other shields at Ryder. The Ghost gets up and wants to attack, but Ryder grins crookedly. "There are people in there," he says and nods towards the building.

The Ghost's entire posture changes. He turns away from Ryder and fumbles with his utility belt. Of course he has a gas mask in there.

"Not again," Barry hears a bystander moan. Ryder spreads his arms and shoots fire everywhere. Phalanx tries to protect people, but the shields can't take the blazing inferno that Ryder is making for too long. Barry is standing behind one of the shields and ducks when a piece of building hits it.

The shields are strong, but Phalanx is getting weaker. The Ghost is still nowhere to be seen. Ryder drops the fire, and Phalanx drops the shields. He falls on the ground. He's still conscious, but he hasn't fully recovered from the other fire yet. And with the Ghost not returning, Barry knows that Phalanx can't take it.

Everything goes slow.

Barry can see that Ryder is about to lift his hand again- about to strike again.

He knows he made a promise, but some are meant to be broken.

Barry runs to Phalanx and grabs him, just before the fire hits him. He runs back to Kurt and Blaine's apartment and puts on his suit. His. Not the Speedster's. After that, he runs in the building and get everyone out, including the Ghost and the baby he was carrying. He does all of this in a flash _._

He puts the Ghost next to Phalanx, who is standing again now that he sees that the Ghost is with him. The three superheroes are staring down at Ryder, who is perplexed. A second ago, he was about to win, but now he's surrounded by three supers.

People take pictures of him, but the Flash doesn't mind. He's about to go home anyway.

He knows that the Ghost and Phalanx have something to say too, but first they have to fight this idiot.

Ryder lifts his hands again, and a wall of fire surrounds him. Phalanx shields the crowd. They can see him, and he isn't smiling again. He looks sad. And scared.

To everyone's surprise, the Ghost stays visible.

"Ryder!" the Flash yells out, "You don't have to do this! We can help!"

Ryder jerks his head towards the Flash. His eyes are wide and fearful. Ryder almost loses control. He clearly didn't expect the Flash to know his name.

"Ryder, we can help you. Just tell us what to do!"

"Who are you?" Ryder is staring at the Flash with wide eyes, "Who. Are. You? Did my dad sent you- oh fuck, did my dad- oh my- fuck. Did my dad-"

"Your dad didn't do anything!" the Flash yells. He curses himself for not knowing Ryder from Earth-Glee better. Maybe he could've helped him, but Marley, Artie and Blaine were taking him to Dalton before he could get to know the others.

"Why would your dad send us?" the Ghost asks calmly.

"To put out the fires."

So he must know that Ryder is behind all of this. "Ryder, please stop there fires, you're hurting people. You've ruined houses of innocent New Yorkers. Ryder- please!"

Ryder shakes his head in a rapid pace. "No- No, you don't understand. My father… he knows- _He knows!_ He needs to know."

"The hell is he talking about?" Phalanx mutters and turns to the Ghost and the Flash, "What do we do? Flash, you're the one who sort of knows him- what do you suggest?"

He runs around Ryder. Everyone else stops moving- or actually, the Flash is moving too fast. But he needs time to think. Ryder isn't doing this to hurt people. All the damage must've been collateral, but he still has a motive.

But he's scared.

And there is something with his dad.

Didn't Marley mention something once?

"Did you just run around in less than a second?" the Ghost asks when the Flash is next to him again. The Flash grins.

"What do we do?" Phalanx asks again.

The Flash looks at Ryder and their eyes meet.

"Take him out."

The Ghost disappears without hesitation. Phalanx jumps on his shields and the Flash runs. Ryder realizes what is happening, because he drops his wall of fire. Instead, he goes back to throwing flames. Phalanx jumps on him from above, but-

"Shit-" Phalanx falls on the ground and clutches his chest, "Flash, the people… they-"

"I'm on it!" the Flash yells and within a second, he drags half of the bystanders away. He brings them to the only place he can think of right now: the police station Finn showed him.

One woman pats him on the cheek. "I never knew your cheekbones were this good, Speedster," she smiles. The Flash shakes his head. "Not the speedster you're looking for, ma'am. The Speedster won't be attending today's event. The name's the Flash."

She pats him on the cheek again.

The Flash runs back to the fire. The firefighters are trying to stop it from spreading. Phalanx is back on his feet, but he's staggering. The Ghost is trying to get close to Ryder, but fire is still his weakness.

The Flash runs to a small news crew. "No thank you, we need live feed of this," the woman says when the Flash tries to save her, "What's your name anyway? I've never seen you in this city! Maybe an inside scoop for Fox News?"

If Fox News is a trashy as it is on the Flash's Earth, it's not even worth looking into the camera. Before they can say anything, the Flash runs them to the police station.

When he runs back to the fire, Phalanx and the Ghost are still avoiding Ryder's fire blasts. The Flash starts to run around Ryder again. This time, he isn't stopping after one round.

"Flash, what are you-"

"Stay behind!" the Flash yells. Mike has told him that the Ghost is not that fond of electricity.

The Ghost seems reluctant, since he doesn't like taking orders, but Phalanx holds out his hand. The Ghost take it and the two of them jump on Phalanx's shields. "Whatever the hell you're doing, good luck!" Phalanx yells. Always the happy one.

He's running so fast, Ryder can't go anywhere. He's trapped and he looks alarmed. He raises his hands to build a wall of fire to knock the Flash off course, but before he has the time to do that, the Flash throws a bolt of lightning in his way.

It doesn't hit Ryder in his chest, but its impact is enough to make him drop- as if he's dead.

The Ghost and Phalanx land next to him. "Okay, wow," Phalanx is astonished, "Ghost, dearest, remind me to never get on the Flash's bad side."

The Ghost softly kicks Ryder's side. Ryder groans. "Phalanx."

Phalanx nods and kneels next to Ryder. "He'll be fine, which is quite a surprise since he isn't a metahuman," Phalanx tells the others.

"But he's a super?"

"Yes, but not a metahuman," Phalanx says and continues examining Ryder, "Doctor Chang and I talked about this. There's a difference between supers and metahumans. Despite the fact that metahuman has the word 'human' in it, supers are more human than metahumans. Flash, we aren't like you. For example, we don't have the power to heal quickly through regeneration."

"It would've helped a lot," the Ghost scoffs, "The bridge, for example?"

"The bank?"

You can't see his eyes very clearly because of the masks, but they all know that the Ghost just rolled his eyes.

"Ghost, Phalanx and- Flash?" Finn is running towards them, "Great job on this guy."

"Detective Hudson," the Ghost nods formally. The Flash never gets this relation. He knows that when the mask is on, everything is more formal, but everyone knows that they're brothers. "Take him with you, but don't hand him to Agent Sylvester and the complex yet. The Flash needs to speak with him."

"-wait, what?"

"Sure thing, little bro," Finn says and the Ghost groans.

* * *

"What do you mean I need to speak with Ryder?" Barry yells when the Ghost and Phalanx arrive at their apartment. Phalanx immediately takes off his headset and mask (that thing cannot be comfortable).

"Ask him," Blaine nods towards the Ghost.

"Why- I have nothing to say to him!" Barry is confused. They caught the bad guy, they locked him up. What else needs to happen? As far as Barry knows, Ryder isn't part of a group of bad guys, so they have nothing on him. The fires are over. It's over. "I kind of expected you guys to talk to me instead. Hello?" He waves and does a little twirl. "Flash?"

"We'll get to that later," the Ghost say, "But first you need to talk to Ryder. You know him better, so you might figure out why he's afraid of his dad."

"You- You want to protect the bad guy?" Barry asks, perplexed.

"I want to protect the guy," the Ghost says. Blaine shrugs and mouths _he does this all the time._

"So let's get going then," the Ghost holds out his hand. Barry takes it. "Mask on," the Ghost orders. Barry obeys.

"Wait, isn't Phalanx going with us?" the Flash asks when they start to disappear.

"Three people in one cell, visiting the bad guy," the Ghost sighs, "Two's enough. Detective Hudson can cover for us. Now, hold your breath. We're going down."

It's an odd feeling. He's used to ghosting through thin walls and cuffs, but he hasn't ghosted down like this before. They land in a subway. All the people in the carriage have no idea that two superheroes are with them. The Flash runs them to the police station and after a while, they find Ryder. He looks miserable.

"Don't scream," the Ghost says and the two of them appear.

Ryder doesn't.

"Ryder Lynn," the Ghost states. Ryder nods and to the Flash's surprise, he looks ashamed. "My friend here needs to have a word with you." The Ghost turns to the Flash.

The Ghost nudges him.

"Uhm, hi Ryder, my name's B-" the Ghost stomps him "the Flash. I have some questions for you. Do you mind answering them?"

Ryder shakes his head.

"You seem afraid of your father. Could you tell us why?"

Clearly, that was not the question Ryder expected. "Did he send you here?" he asks solemnly, "Does he finally pay attention to what I'm doing?"

The Ghost and the Flash exchange some glares. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand," the Ghost says. To their surprise, Ryder laughs. But it's a bitter laugh. It makes the Flash cringe.

"That's easy for you to say," Ryder sneers at the Ghost, "We all know who your father is-" the Ghost sighs "- but let me tell you this: not all of us have a father like you, _Kurt_."

The Flash is used to super speed, but before he can blink, the Ghost has Ryder pinned against the wall. "Listen up you little shit, I am here out of good intentions. Call me by my name one more time and those good intentions might- slip- away."

Ryder yelps. "I'm sorry, I- I'm just want you guys to leave me alone."

"Well, we won't," the Ghost says sharply, but he releases Ryder.

"Now Ryder, why are you afraid of your father?" the Flash continues.

"Is he hurting you?" the Ghost asks seriously, "Because if so, tell me if I need to haunt him." The Ghost knows the names of the employees at the women's center by heart, so he probably has had child abuse cases too. The Flash wants to puke at the thought of children being abused. The Flash doesn't know what haunting is, but he guesses it's a bad thing.

Ryder takes a deep breath and looks away. "He ignores me."

The Ghost and the Flash did not expect that.

"Ignoring you how?" the Ghost eventually asks.

"Does it matter?" Ryder almost yells, "He ignores me! My father- he has a PhD in basically everything. MY FATHER is everything, but I'm not. My father is the smartest man in this entire world and I am not. I cannot even spell my own name without my mother helping me. And my sister- she's wonderful. She's gonna be like him.

 _And he loves me_. Or so he says. He loves me _so, so_ much!" The bitter tone is back. "And it is _awful_." He's on the verge of breaking down. "It is the worst. He keeps going on about my achievement, but also about the lack thereof! And one day, he's gonna wake up and he's gonna realize that he's been ignoring me for sixteen years. He's only seen the son he wants to see. The son he is creating. And when he wakes up, he's gonna see the disappointment I am."

The Ghost comforts Ryder as he sobs.

"Is this why you started fires?" the Flash asks, puzzled. Ryder seems to crave affection, but he also seems afraid of his father realizing it.

"I thought- I- I thought that this would distract him of my disappointments," Ryder admits between sobs, "He would realize that I can do this. I can't read, or write, or spell, but I can destroy. It terrifies me. I can't- I don't want to imagine what he would say or do to me when he sees me again. He'd- He'd be so mad, but you know what they say, right?"

The Flash shakes his head.

"A bad reputation is better than no reputation at all."

The Flash has to look away. Destroying people's lives only to make sure someone will pay attention to them in a different way? It sounds dumb, or stupid, but also so logical. This is the final solution for him.

"Look Ryder, I'm not going to sweet-talk over all of this," the Ghost starts, "because what you did was wrong, very, _very_ wrong. There's a lot of property damage and you've hurt a lot of people by damaging their homes. And what you did to Phalanx wasn't great either." Ryder gives him a questioning look, but the Ghost doesn't elaborate.

"Since you're underage, different rules will apply to you, but it's no surprise that you will be punished for your crimes against the city." Ryder hangs his head.

"But… maybe a certain someone will give you an alternative. Do not trust them with your life, but there's this woman, maybe you've heard of her, called Incendiary. She might be able to help you and she can teach you how to use your powers in a helpful way. And maybe then you can make your father proud."

* * *

"I thought you didn't trust the team?" Barry asks, confused. They left Ryder when they heard footsteps.

"I trust the team very much," the Ghost corrects him, "But it's the complex I don't trust. Trust is important. Speaking of trust…" He eyes Barry's suit. "We trusted you not to use your powers _in public_ especially not while wearing that suit."

"This is going to be awkward," Blaine says. He's already in his civilian clothes. The Ghost lowers his hood and takes off his mask.

"I'm going to sound like a parent, but I don't care," Kurt says shortly, "What the hell did we tell you and what do you think you're doing?"

"We appreciate your help and input, Barry, but really?" Blaine asks.

Barry holds up his hands in defense. "Guys, chill, I got it covered," he says, "You really think I'd be stupid enough to go out as the Flash without thinking it over? I am going home. Artie found the right breach!"

Kurt and Blaine are both silent, until-

Blaine basically jumps on him. "Congratulations!" he yells as he hugs Barry. It's a bit awkward and Barry doesn't miss the fact that Kurt looks away for a second, but that's what happens when your counterpart screws things up.

Kurt shakes his head and looks back with a smile. "That's great news, Barry," he says, "We know that you miss your Earth."

"Yeah, we're sad to see you go, since it was nice meeting you, but we know this is what you want," Blaine says. He lets go of Barry, and Kurt sighs of relief.

Barry really wants to punch Sebastian.

"When?" Kurt asks.

"Sam told me to text them when I'm ready, so I'm just gonna-" he texts with super speed. "Done."

Blaine sighs. "Oh, well then I guess I have to change into my suit again."

* * *

The entire team is waiting for the Flash.

They fly on Phalanx's shields, invisible and incredibly fast, to the open field the Speedster and Cheer Girl used to train with the Flash.

"Such a coincidence the breach will appear on this field," Doctor Chang says. iBorg nods happily. "We did well, didn't we?"

"So, like, is the Flash just gonna go home now?" Puckzilla wonders, "We just have to throw him into air?"

"Speaking of which," iBord says, "Cheer Girl will be throwing you." Cheer Girl waves happily. The Speedster doesn't look amused. "We played rock, paper, scissor," Cheer Girl says cheerfully, "And I won!"

"Speedy, good luck," Agent Sylvester says, "Don't come back."

The Flash wants to tell her that Speedy is the name that belongs to Thea, but Agent Sylvester doesn't know her and Oliver. "Pleasure meeting you too," he salutes her.

"Sorry I wanted to kill you," Puckzilla lowers his head in shame, "It was a reflex. Have a safe trip or something."

"I still want to kill you," is all that Incendiary says. The Flash brushes it off. According to the Ghost, Incendiary is always like that.

"Thank you for proving that the multiverse theory is true," iBorg says happily. "Yeah, you've opened up a new world for us," Doctor Chang hugs him, "Literally." The Flash winks. "You're welcome. Greet Tina for me."

"I still think you should add a cape to your costume," Cheer Girl tells him while almost crushing him with her hug, "You can ask the Ghost. He made mine, which means you _have_ to visit us. Won't that be fun!"

"Maybe in the future when I have this entire multiverse theory sorted out," the Flash says, "My friend Cisco, also known as Vibe, might help me with that."

"Cool, maybe I should add a cape," the Speedster says, "But man, it was so nice meeting another speedster. Good luck with that Zoom dude."

And as last…

"Thanks for your help with the Ryder thing," Phalanx hugs him, "I'm gonna miss you, Flash. Nice to know there are nice versions of your counterpart in the universe."

"Yeah, we're gonna miss you crashing in Rachel's old room," the Ghost doesn't hug him, but the Flash doesn't mind. The Ghost doesn't like being touched and the Flash respects that. Also, he doesn't want to be on the Ghost's bad side.

Cheer Girl moves next to him. "Are you ready?"

"Always."

The others all wave and cheer when the Flash runs them away. After a while, a breach appears. Cheer Girl smiles brightly.

"Good luck, Flash!" she yells as she throws him in the air.

The Flash doesn't look back. He runs.

He runs through the breach and he's very happy to see Central City. He makes his way to Star Labs.

He stops dead when he realizes he's back. He looks around and takes of his mask. "I'm back? I'm back…" he murmurs to himself. Then he sees Caitlin, Iris and Cisco. "How long was I gone?" he asks when he realizes they're wearing the same clothes they wore on the day he accidentally ran to Supergirl's Earth.

"Let's put it this way!" Cisco says, instead of answering, "You just annihilated your old record!"

"Barry, you went four times faster than you've ever been," Caitlin adds, equally excited.

"Four times?" Barry asks, stunned.

"That's as fast as Zoom," Harry appears out of nowhere, holding a Styrofoam cup, "Well, faster actually." Everyone's so excited, so when Harry suggests that they keep the breaches closed forever, it feels like someone just slapped Barry.

"No, look, no, we- we're not turning our backs on another Earth. We're not gonna let Zoom get away with everything he's done."

"Right now, there is no way to another Earth, Allen. Let's keep it that way," Harry says and Barry wants to laugh. He visited three other Earths in less than a day.

But when Harry walks away, Barry remembers he has no idea how to create breaches himself.

But he will figure it out. He and his friends will figure it out. He looks around again and takes in all the equipment he has and he remembers how the Ghost and Phalanx work. Suddenly, it feels incredibly wrong to have all these gadgets.

"Barry?"

They will find a way to Earth-Two, and the will save Harry's daughter and defeat Zoom. And when he finally has the multiverse under control, he will go back to the other Earth to tell Sam they did it.

"We're getting back to Earth-Two," he tells the others, "With or without his help."

"Then let's go to work," Cisco says and he and Caitlin start immediately. They can do this. And maybe Sam's advice about the partial accelerator might be useful.

Yeah, he really can't wait to tell them about Zoom's defeat.

* * *

 **Thank you.**

 **Also rebloggable from tumblr forabeatofadrum.**


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